My husband’s friend’s widow uploaded a picture of her pregnancy report.

[Thank you for letting me have my own baby.]

I responded with a question mark when I saw Jake Green, my husband’s name, in the husband column.

Jake immediately called me to yell at me.

“She’s a widow and is living alone. All she wants is to have a baby to keep her company and give her life a little more cheer. How could you not show her even this bit of pity?

“You know that Henry is my friend. It’s only right for me to take care of his wife after he died! This is called friendship, don’t you understand?!”

Soon, Henry’s widow uploaded a photo of a loft apartment.

[Thank goodness you’re by my side to let me experience the warmth of a family again.]

When I saw Jake busying himself in the kitchen in the photo, I thought it was time to end the marriage.

When Jake came back, I had already booked an appointment for an abortion the next day.

I had been married to Jake for five years but never got pregnant.

A few days back, I found out that I had been pregnant for two months. I had thought about telling Jake about it during our anniversary as a surprise, but by the looks of it, he no longer needed it.

Jake put a bag on the table and came over to hug me. “Honey, I bought some congee for you. Eat it.”

I cast a glance at the bits of rice and the barely perceptible flecks of meat inside. How ridiculous.

These must be leftovers from a certain someone.

I avoided his touch and pushed the bag away.

“I don’t have any appetite.”

Jake just thought that I was not being honest and poured the congee into a bowl before delivering it to me.

“Stop kicking up a fuss, honey. Don’t you love this?”

The fishy smell from the cool congee crept into my nose, and I ran into the toilet to hurl.

Jake came over to pat my back, but I smacked his hand away and glared at him with teary eyes. “Don’t touch me!”

My repeated rejection made him angry, and Jake raised his voice in displeasure. “What exactly do you want?! I’ve already set aside my pride to make you feel better! Isn’t it enough?!

“I’m not even holding you responsible for those sarcastic remarks you left behind, and you just refuse to let this issue slide!”

His righteous behavior made it seem like I was in the wrong.

I stared at him in disbelief, and my voice quivered as I said, “Am I supposed to magnanimously congratulate another woman for being pregnant with my husband’s baby?”

Jake yanked his tie off in frustration.

“Winnie just wanted to have a baby to give her life a little cheer after Henry died. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m also Henry’s best friend, so I have the responsibility of taking care of his wife and fulfilling all her desires.

“It’s not as if I really slept with her, anyway. I just donated sperm for her. Do you really have to kick up a fuss about something as small as this?

“You’re so unreasonable and jealous!”

Me? Jealous?

When Henry passed away, I pitied Winnie York for becoming a widow at such a young age, and I took care of her in multiple ways. I often asked her over to eat with us, and whenever any of her home appliances broke down, both Jake and I went over to repair it.

At that time, she would tear up and say that she would not have needed to bother us if Henry were still around.

I smiled and told her it was no trouble at all. This was just a small matter.

Jake had nodded at that, too. He said that she could just go to him if she needed help because he would never say no.

At that time, I thought that he was saying that because of his friendship with Henry. That was why he took care of Winnie so much after Henry died.

But later on, that concern changed.

Before I knew it, Jake started going to the supermarket alone with her to help her carry her groceries; he went alone to help her set up her shoe cabinet; and he went to buy ointment for her when she burned herself.

He never did these things for me when he was at home.

These things irked me, but Jake only said that he was just taking care of his friend’s widow, so I could not say anything else about it.

But to think that Winnie would even ask him to help her get pregnant!

Did he ever wonder about how awkward my situation would be after Winnie’s baby was born? That baby would call him Daddy and Winnie Mommy. What about me? What was I supposed to do about that? What was our baby supposed to do about that?

I wanted to talk about it with Jake, but when I heard his accusations on the phone, I no longer felt like doing it.

His current lack of remorse strengthened that resolve.

Jake vented all his displeasure and finally said, “Reflect on this and stop being such a petty person!”

He left with a slam of the door.

It was already late, and it was obvious where he was going to go.

Just as I expected, Winnie made another post not long after.

In the photo were Jake’s hands on Winnie’s stomach.

The caption was: The baby’s daddy came to keep both of us company tonight. He said that this is the only place where he can feel the warmth of a family.

As I stared at the photo, I laughed at my own stupidity. How could I not see that my marriage had broken down a long time ago?

From the moment Jake started treating Winnie as more than a friend, I should have known.

If that was the case, it was time to cut my losses early.

The next morning, I went to the hospital.

After paying for the surgery, I waited for my abortion. I saw Jake supporting Winnie as they came out of the ultrasound scan room.

Once they sat down to check the ultrasound scan, Winnie pointed at the report to say something while Jake listened to her seriously. Occasionally, he would record something on his phone.

When I saw this, I instinctively touched my belly, and my eyes stung.

I did not want to make myself unhappy seeing them, so I prepared to leave, but Jake looked up and saw me.

He stood up and frowned as his voice turned sour. “Did you follow me?”

Before I could say anything, Winnie tugged his sleeve and said in a troubled voice. “Jake, did Luna misunderstand? I’ll explain it to you. I don’t want this to affect your relationship.”

She then stood up to walk toward me.

But Jake immediately pushed her down so that she would not move.

“You’re pregnant. Sit down. I’ll talk to Luna.”

I was not interested in watching them flirt and turned to leave, but Jake grabbed my wrist, and I nearly fell.

When I finally regained my footing, I saw Jake’s enraged face.

“I already told you very clearly yesterday, Luna. Why haven’t you gotten this through your thick skull yet? I can’t believe you’d even come to the hospital.”

I used all of my strength to break free of his grasp, but my wrist was already swollen.

“Sorry, but I have no time to follow you two. You’re reading too much into this.”

Clearly, Jake did not believe in me.

“Why are you in the hospital, then?”

I showed him my receipt. “To see the doctor.”

Jake frowned. “You’re sick? Why didn’t I know about this?”

He wanted to grab my receipt, but Winnie suddenly came forward to grab my hand through teary eyes.

“Luna, I was too lonely after Henry left, and I just wanted a child to keep me company. That’s why I asked Henry for help. I never wanted to destroy your relationship with him.”

If Winnie just wanted a baby, she could get her sperm from a sperm bank, but she just had to get Jake’s.

She was also making herself sound so, so, so close to Jake.

Once I saw reality as what it really was, I discovered plenty of details I never took notice of before.

The mockery in my eyes faded away, and I freed my hand.

But Winnie cried out in surprise and fell backwards. Jake immediately caught her, and his expression was full of fear.

“Are you okay, Winnie?”

Winnie hugged Jake’s neck as she teared up even more.

“Jake, I’m okay. I just wasn’t expecting Luna to…”

Jake flew into a rage. When he looked at me, his eyes burned with fury.

“Luna, you know that Winnie is pregnant! How could you be so cruel?!”

I never thought that Winnie would do this, much less that Jake would believe in her so unhesitantly.

I stared at them coldly. “I didn’t push her.”

It just made Jake even angrier.

“I saw it, and you’re still trying to argue with me?! Thank goodness I caught Winnie in time! If anything had happened to her, I wouldn’t forgive you!

“I was thinking about going back with you after you finished seeing the doctor, but I’ve decided against it. Go back alone. I’m sending Winnie home!”

He carefully held Winnie in his arms and left.

As I watched Jake’s worried expression, I called out to him, “Jake, if I told you I was pregnant and am here for an abortion, would you stay?”

Jake froze.

Winnie cradled her stomach and cast him a glance before saying something to him.

Jake turned his head to look at me.

“Luna, you don’t have to lie to me like this. No matter what, I’m not leaving Winnie behind.”

They left and never once turned back.

At that moment, disappointment filled my heart.

A child whose own father did not long for him should not come to this world.

Cracks had appeared in our marriage, and it was going to crumble to pieces.

When I returned home after my abortion, I found the house still dark.

He did not come back for a few days, and I did not call him to ask him where he went either. I just focused on recovering at home while I also called a lawyer to ask about getting a divorce.

I saw Jake again from Winnie’s Instagram.

He never liked taking photos, but he had gone the extra mile and worn a cartoon hair clip in a pregnancy photo with Winnie.

They caressed her belly gently as they stared at each other lovingly. They looked just like a loving couple, eager for their baby’s birth.

For that instance, I liked the post.

Jake, who had not called me for a few days, called me right then and told me to go to his parents’ house for dinner.

I had already packed up pretty much everything, and my lawyer had also finished drafting out the divorce agreement. It was time for me to tell him and his family about my desire for a divorce, so I agreed to it.

When I arrived at his parents’ house, I found Winnie sitting in my spot.

Gertrude, Jake’s mother, held Winnie’s hand while she spoke amicably to him. Over the past five years, Gertrude had never smiled at me, but at this moment, her smile never faded.

Gertrude had always been displeased with me, and since I had never gotten pregnant despite being married to Jake for five years, she found me even more of an eyesore.

I had wanted to use my baby to improve my relationship with Gertrude, but there was no longer a need for it.

Seeing me, Winnie gave me a bashful smile.

“Luna, Gertrude insisted that I come here after learning that I was pregnant because it’s easier for her to care for me. Don’t read too much into it…”

I could not be bothered dealing with her act, so I pulled out a chair and sat down.

Gertrude sized me up and patted Winnie’s hand while she said earnestly to me, “Luna, you’ve never gotten pregnant even after being married to Jake for five years. I can’t wait to hold a grandchild now.

“Winnie is also a pitiful girl. Her husband passed away, and she’s all alone. Thank goodness she has Jake taking care of her.

“She’s also pregnant with Jake’s baby. Are you fine with me bringing her over so that I can take care of her?”

She might have phrased it as a question, but she was really reprimanding me. In any case, I was used to it.

Even so, no matter what happened between Winnie and the Greens was no longer any of my concern.

I nodded.

“Yeah. I’m okay with it.”